IonQ QPUs and Classiq Software Power Winning Projects at UK’s National Quantum Computing Centre’s 2024 Hackathon

Insider Brief

• Winners of the UK Quantum Hackathon developed novel quantum applications using IonQ’s quantum computers and Classiq’s software, continuing a successful collaboration for the second consecutive year.
• The hackathon focused on practical use cases in areas such as healthcare, energy, and engineering, with teams evaluated on scalability and the impact of their quantum solutions.
• The event, hosted by the National Quantum Computing Centre, brought together over 70 coders in 13 teams to tackle real-world challenges, showcasing innovation and creativity in quantum computing.

PRESS RELEASE — IonQ and Classiq, leaders in the quantum computing industry, today announced that winners of this year’s annual UK Quantum Hackathon – hosted by the National Quantum Computing Centre’s (NQCC) – used IonQ quantum computers and Classiq’s software among several other quantum systems, when developing solutions for novel quantum applications.

This is the second year in a row that IonQ and Classiq have teamed up to enable hackathon teams to design, optimize and execute quantum algorithms for IonQ’s quantum computers. Classiq’s software simplifies the circuit design process by allowing users to define their quantum circuit parameters before the software converts it into an optimized quantum circuit. 

“We’re delighted that IonQ’s quantum computers were used by the best and brightest quantum computing talent in the UK. It’s inspiring to be part of an incredible event that fosters the next generation of quantum leaders,” said Peter Chapman, President and CEO of IonQ. “The fact that the first place winning team – and, in fact, all three winners – used IonQ for their projects is humbling and an incredible honor.” 

“It is impressive to see the projects submitted by these talented students and researchers. We’re proud that Classiq’s software and our integration with IonQ has enabled them to achieve these winning results,” said Nir Minerbi, CEO and co-founder of Classiq. “The NQCC has delivered yet another world-class hackathon, and we believe it is a wonderful contribution to inspiring and developing future quantum talent.” 

The winning teams presented quantum application use cases for areas like risk aggregation, evaluation for insurance losses, network design and National Health Service (NHS) forecasting. Each teams’ approach was evaluated for scalability and how each application could address challenges in areas such as  healthcare, energy and engineering. 

“One of the objectives of our annual UK Quantum Hackathon is to drive the advancement of practical use cases, facilitating the migration of quantum computing from academia to industry.” said Dr Michael Cuthbert, Director, NQCC. “IonQ has been a quantum processing unit (QPU) provider that has powered Hackathon winners for the past two years. We congratulate all who have been involved in this successful event.” 

The UK Quantum Hackathon is the NQCC’s flagship annual event, delivered as part of their user engagement program, SparQ. From students to early career researchers, the event brought together teams of coders with industry mentors, to tackle practical challenges and develop solutions using quantum computing. During the three day event, 13 teams including over 70 coders displayed innovative spirit and creativity.